Full Court Press: Pete Carroll's Clean Getaway

I am a huge fan of college athletics. I think that it shows a type of sports that is often untainted by the egos and huge contracts that come inevitably with professional athletics. Professional athletics are corrupt. College athletics aren’t. Can we agree on that?

No, we can’t. Anybody who believes that professional athletics are more corrupt than college athletics simply has not been paying attention. Consider Ohio State’s voided final four appearance from a few years ago. Or the questionable validity of Derrick Rose’s SAT scores. Consider the most recent allegations against USC.

The Trojans handed out illegal incentives and gifts like they were confetti. They treated Reggie Bush like the pro player that he never became. They built a dynasty on lies, deceit and a sea of dirty money. They were a team staffed by student-athletes, except without the student part.

And for this, USC football has been punished. They have a two year ban from bowl games, dozens of revoked scholarships and will inevitably suffer in recruiting. Everybody, from the athletic director to the head coach received justice.

Wait. That’s not quite true.

Peter Clay Carroll, the Trojans’ head coach from the entire period in question, was not punished. He will not be forced to miss back to back postseasons (well, not in college anyway), he will not suffer from recruiting problems, he will not be a member of a now tarnished organization.

He got away like a thief after a bank heist. He robbed college football blind and walked away as his accomplices all were hauled to jail. Sure he’s tied to the scandal. But does he really care?

Here’s my take. He’s slime. He’s a piece of trash. I hope he flames out in the NFL and returns to college with his tail between his legs. Then he can do whatever he wants to them, and either move to the NFL or retire. I’m sure even after two NFL bombs, teams would still fall over each other to get their hands on (gasp), “the Great Pete Carroll.”

I wonder how he sleeps at night. I wonder how he can think himself a true winner when he cheated his way to the top and walked away just before the invaders stormed the fortress and exposed the charade. The fact that he’s ready to embark on an incredibly hyped NFL career, all the while knowing the crimes he committed at the school that made him a true star makes me sick.

I don’t know what the future holds for Carroll. I know that if he wins a Super Bowl with Seattle, he’ll be a God, with the USC scandal nothing but a footnote. I know that if he royally screws up the Seahawks, he’ll just move on to another job, not accepting responsibility. It’s who he is. He wants to win. It doesn’t matter how. I just hope eventually somebody realizes how much of a cheating, lying criminal that he is.

Now that I’ve ranted for the day, here’s some thoughts on the finals.

I cannot get a read on the Celtics. They played poorly in game one, bounced back in game two, then fell backwards in game three at home. Now, they’ve won game four. On the best day, they can absolutely beat LA. But without more consistency from the Celtics, LA will ultimately win the series. But the Celtics need to be remembered for what they accomplished this year. They were a great team. LA is just the best team.

That’s my two cents on the finals. You know I couldn’t ignore the finals, even for a week. See you next week.